Fire barrier component

ABSTRACT

A fire barrier component has an outer sleeve retaining and protecting a fire stop material therein which is preferably compressed. The outer sleeve when exposed to a fire condition partially fails and the fire stop material forms the fire stop barrier. The fire stop material if compressed expands and can cooperate with adjacent components to form an effective fire stop barrier. The firestop barrier component can be factory made and used in complete fire barrier systems, or the component can be used as part of a specific field application. The component may be sold in longer lengths and cut as required to meet a particular application. Conventional saws work satisfactorily in cutting of the component while maintaining the performance of the component when exposed to a fire condition.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a factory manufactured prefabricatedfire barrier component where a firestop insulation product such asmineral wool is preinstalled into a sleeve or frame and is designed torelease and seal the opening in the event of a fire. The product can beused on its own or in groups, and can be installed with or without aframing assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fire stop assemblies are required to prevent the spread of fire throughopenings in a wall, floor or other structural barrier of a buildingstructure. The openings are typically provided through fire ratedassemblies to allow conduits, piping and other penetrating members topass through the barrier. These fire stop assemblies often provide someprotection about the access port during a non-fire condition and in theevent of a fire are designed to stop the fire from progressing throughthe port. Many fire stops are field fabricated at the building site byinstallers using methods that make it difficult to ensure theappropriate material compression and depth of material installation.They can also be very difficult to install.

Many of these fire stop assemblies use intumescent materials which foamand greatly expand when exposed to a fire condition. For fire stopassemblies of a large size for example for providing a fire stop for aport having a longitudinal direction in excess of two feet, someadditional structural components may be required when using intumescentmaterials to keep it from separating or falling out during a firecondition. In addition, the use of intumescent material increases thecost of the fire stop assembly and the intumescent material on its ownmay not meet certain fire codes which require the barrier to withstand arestricted temperature transmission requirement or remain intact afteran exposure to a pressurized stream of water.

There remains a need to provide an effective fire stop assembly that canbe properly installed on a job site with minimal installer effort,training, or skill level and allows quick installation of additionalpenetrants without major effort or rework.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

A fire barrier component according to the present invention comprises anelongated outer sleeve of a molded material and generally fixed crosssection and a compressed fire stop material retained and protectedinterior to the outer sleeve.

According to an aspect of the invention the outer sleeve is of amaterial that is consumable in a fire.

According to an aspect of the invention the outer sleeve is of anextruded plastic material.

In yet a different aspect of the invention the fire barrier componenthas a rated fire stop application and the compressed fire stop materialis a non-combustible material for the rated fire stop application.

In yet a further aspect of the invention the compressed fire stopmaterial is compressed mineral wool.

In a further aspect of the invention the compressed fire stop materialis a compressed glass fiber material.

In a preferred aspect of the invention the outer sleeve is of arectangular cross-section.

In a preferred aspect of the invention the outer sleeve is a one-pieceextruded tube designed to release the compressed insulation materialupon exposure to heat or fire.

The fire barrier component according to an aspect of the presentinvention, has an outer sleeve of a profile to retain a compressed firestop material therein. The outer sleeve is partially consumed and/orfails when exposed to a fire condition thereby releasing and/or exposingthe compressed fire stop material. The sleeve may be of a plastic orother material capable of being consumed by flame or heat of a fire.

In a different aspect of the invention the outer sleeve is an elongatecomponent of a single piece or multi-piece construction that isconfigurable to allow the insertion of the compressed fire stop materialand to retain the compressed fire stop material therein. In one form,the elongate component includes a bottom channel and a top coverplate.In a different aspect of the elongate outer sleeve is a single extrudedcomponent with a live hinge running the length thereof with the sleevebeing initially manufactured in the open condition. This single extrudedcomponent operates in a clamshell manner.

In a further embodiment of the invention the outer sleeve ismanufactured of a single extrusion where this extrusion has a maleconnector and a female connector. The extrusion is reversible to definethe outer sleeve basically the single extrusion is cut into two pieceswith one reversed to collectively define the outer sleeve about thecompressed fire stop material.

The fire barrier component when the outer sleeve is of a plasticmaterial, is of significant structural integrity to protect the firestop material from the normal day to day environment which may tend todeteriorate or expose the fire stop material to potential damage. Inaddition, the plastic outer sleeve can easily be cleaned as may berequired over time. If desired end caps can be provided on the tubes toessentially close these members. In addition, the fire barrier componentcan be manufactured in relatively long lengths and then cut toappropriate size for insertion in a fire barrier assembly or for acustomized configuration in the field. Basically this is a buildingcomponent for defining a fire barrier.

It has been found that by providing a compressed fire stop materialwithin the outer sleeve certain advantages are possible. Basically, thesleeve forms a restraining member and the compressed fire stop materialmay be compressed from 10% to 200%. A compression range of 30% to 80% issatisfactory for most applications. In the event of a fire the outersleeve may be partially consumed or at least will be weakened and thebarrier thereof will allow the expansion of the compressible fire stopmaterial. The failed outer sleeve allows the expanded fire stop materialto form a positive fire stop layer and it will also serve to protect theremaining portion of the sleeve as an insulating layer. It has beenfound during testing that the sleeve can be completely consumed on oneside while the two side edges of the sleeve and the back-face of thesleeve remain generally intact throughout the fire test. Any consumedportion of the sleeve is immediately compensated by the expandingcompressed fire stop material. As can be appreciated the compressed firestop material would also expand against any wires or pipe which areimmediately adjacent thereto.

In a preferred aspect of the invention the elongate outer sleeveincludes a series of knockout ports in the length thereof to allow awire or pipe to pass through the barrier. This provides a simplearrangement for easy retrofit in the future for a specific application.Generally these fire stop assemblies do allow removal of an elongatefire stop component however the use of the knockout port allows a wireto pass therethrough at a convenient location or where removal of theentire component is not necessary or desired as the amount of expansionneeded is relatively small. At a future point in time if this barriercomponent needs to be removed it is easily cut.

In yet a further aspect of the invention the barrier component can bemanufactured in long lengths and cut to the appropriate size either forshipping or for the specific application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above as well as other advantages and features of the presentinvention will be described in greater detail according to the preferredembodiments of the present invention in which;

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of three fire barrier componentsplaced in side by side relationship;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a series of fire barrier components secured ina circular frame to close a passage through a building structure;

FIG. 3 is a cross section through a two-piece fire barrier component;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the outer sleeve manufactured by a singleextrusion component; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view through a fire a barrier component which ismanufactured with a live hinge to allow closure thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION ACCORDING TO THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THEPRESENT INVENTION IN WHICH

The fire barrier components 2 shown in FIG. 1 have an elongate outersleeve 4 of a generally rectangular configuration which retains andprotects the compressed fire stop material 6. The compressed fire stopmaterial 6 is preferably a mineral wool or other fire barrier materialand the outer sleeve 4 is preferably a thin walled PVC enclosure. Othercross sections of the outer sleeve 4 can be used.

As can be appreciated from FIG. 1 these rectangular fire barriercomponents can be manufactured in long lengths and can be placed side byside for forming the fabricated barrier 10.

FIG. 2 shows a circular retaining frame 20 securing the barriercomponents 22 within the frame. As can be appreciated the components 22can be field cut to different lengths and the ends of these componentscan be cut to generally form to the shape of the circular retainingframe 20. The factory made components 22 can be used as part of afactory manufactured fire barrier assembly or these components can beused as a fire retardant building component that can be cut and/or usedin combination to suit a particular onsite requirement.

It is preferred that each of the fire barrier components 2 be of agenerally rectangular section where the compressed fire stop material 6is compressed between the two opposed sidewalls of the outer sleeveidentified as 6 a and 6 b. Typically, the fire barrier components 2 areinstalled in the orientation shown in FIG. 1 for a horizontal accessport. The bottom surface 12 is the surface that is likely to be exposedto a fire condition. It is this portion of the outer sleeves that isfirst to fail in a fire condition and the failure of this portion allowsthe compressed fire block material to be exposed to the fire conditionfrom below and to expand. Somewhat surprisingly, it is not necessarythat the outer sleeve be of a non-combustible material. It may bedesired to make it of a non-combustible material or a material whichburns or fails in a particular manner. For example, this could be of aPVDF material of an appropriate firing rating. The outer sleeve couldalso be of a co-extruded material and have an outer protective surface.

The fire barrier components of FIG. 1 are each individual componentshowever if desired it is possible to provide interior partitions to thebarrier component. It may be desired to effectively have three channelswithin a barrier component and knockout ports 14 can be provided in thetop and bottom surfaces of the fire barrier component as shown inFIG. 1. It may be desired that the knockout ports are only associatedwith the center channel of the three channels whereby the wire or pipecan be forced through the center channel. Some damage or dislocation ofthe compressible fire barrier material may occur but it would be limitedto only a small portion and the component would continue to function inits intended manner. Fire stop sealants can be applied on top of thecomponent about any penetrants if desired or necessary. By dividing thecomponents into the channels the damage is limited, and the channelseither side of the center channel serve to provide additional capacitywhen the fire condition occurs. As can be appreciated the failure of thebottom surface of the component would allow all of the compressedmineral wool material to expand laterally and correct for any small gapsor deficiencies resulting from the removed compressed fire stopmaterial. Preferably any interior portions within the barrier componentare thin walled.

A further advantage of the knockout ports is that only a limited surfaceof the outer sleeve is removed while allowing the worker a clearindication of how to use the factory made fire barriers component havinga quality controlled known performance due to the compressed fillmaterial.

Although the knockout ports are desirable it is also possible to merelydrill through the outer sleeve as may be required using conventionaltools commonly available. With this arrangement for certain applicationswhere only a single wire or small pipe needs to additionally passthrough the barrier, the installer can merely use one of the portsrather than removing an entire barrier component. As can be appreciated,the removal of an entire component creates a significant gap that can beavoided when the expansion requirements to accommodate a pipe or wireare quite minimal.

Various designs for the outer sleeve are shown with respect to FIGS. 3,4 and 5. All of these designs have the common advantage of defining astructure where the insertion of the compressed fire stop material 6 iseasily accomplished. Furthermore, each of these structures, once thematerial has been inserted allow the tube to be closed and locked. Thespecific designs show a snap fit lock type arrangement but otherarrangements are possible. Furthermore, it may be desired to provide anoverlap fit or provide for welding of the lock arrangement. The purposeof the open capabilities of the structures of FIGS. 3 through 5 is froma manufacturing point of view as it is desirable to manufacture thisbarrier component in long lengths or on a continuous basis.

As can be appreciated from a consideration of FIG. 5 it would bepossible to allow the extrusion of the component and the subsequentinsertion of the compressible fill material as part of a continuousmanufacturing process. The continuous extruded component can then be cutto desired lengths for shipping or storage. As previously described itmay be desirable to permanently close the sleeve as opening of thesleeve after the compressed material has been inserted is not normallyrequired.

In the present design it is desirable that the fire stop material becompressed at least laterally. Preferably, this material is compressedto at least one third of its non-compressed state. Some compression inthe longitudinal or top to bottom direction is possible and desired. Theextent of this compression would be much less. For many applications itis desirable merely to provide the expansion in one direction for bettercontrol and it also simplifies the manufacturing process.

The outer sleeve cross section of FIG. 3 shows a two-piece outer sleeve30, a clamp on cover 32 and a base channel 34. Snap locks 36 allow thecover to be secured and retained on the base channel 34. As can beappreciated compressible fire stop material may be easily loaded in thebase channel 34 and the cover 32 may then be locked on the channel.

The two-piece extrusion of FIG. 4 has the two-piece one extrusionstructure 40 made up of the first component 42 and the second component44. These are the same component but merely reversed in orientation. Atone end of the extrusion is the male connector 46 and on the oppositeend of the extrusion is the female connector 48.

The embodiment of FIG. 5 shows a one-piece open outer sleeve 60. A livehinge 62 is provided between the first half component 64 and the secondhalf component 66. Once the compressed fire material has been loaded inthe one-piece open sleeve 60 the two halves may be brought intoengagement with the male connector 68 inserted and locked in the femaleconnector 70. Due to the flexibility of plastic the live hinge could bedeleted and the sleeve merely forced open to insert the fire stopmaterial. The sleeve can then be longitudinally secured in a suitablemanner.

The fire barrier component as described with respect to the drawingssimplifies the manufacture of factory produced fire stop assemblieswhere the barrier component is inserted preferably and retained within astructural frame or system. The component may be cut to the appropriatelength and the user can easily modify the structure in the field asrequired to suit the different conduits or pipes that may have to passthrough the assembly.

It is also possible to use the fire barrier component for theconstruction of customized barriers in the field or to protectparticular surfaces. For example, in some applications it is desirableto provide additional fire stop insulation beneath the deck of a shipand the varying components could be installed to provide both the firebarrier and insulation properties. It is also possible that the firebarrier component can be used for closing of large ports in walls thatmay be present for future expansion. Basically the fire barriercomponent is easily cut on the jobsite using a circular saw or othercutting device and this allows the user to easily customize thestructure. This flexibility increases the number of applications wherethe fire barrier component can be used.

The fire barrier component has been described with respect to itsability to expand laterally when exposed to a fire condition. Thislateral expansion against other like components provides a cooperativeeffect. There are applications where the component can be installed inthe opposite orientation to provide higher insulation properties whenthe component is exposed to a fire condition. Basically rather than thecomponents expanding against one another the compressed fill materialexpands downwardly. This expansion increases the amount of insulationdue to the expansion of the fire stop material. Therefore inapplications where space may be limited this pre-compressed stateeffectively provides more clearance until such time as a fire conditionoccurs.

The fire barrier component has been described for providing a singlelayer fire stop barrier. It is also possible in certain applications togreatly improve the fire barrier capability by providing a second layerof fire barrier components above a first layer. Furthermore, theorientation of this second layer can be changed. For example, the firstlayer and the second layer could be effectively rotated 90 degrees toeach other. Therefore it is possible to use this fire barrier componentin alternate manners and this again increases the number of applicationsthat component can be used.

Although various preferred embodiments of the present invention havebeen described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in theart that variations may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention or the scope of the appended claims.

1. A fire barrier component comprising an elongate outer sleeve of amoldable material of a generally fixed cross section and a compressedfire stop material retained and protected interior to said outer sleeve.2. A fire barrier component as claimed in claim 1 wherein said outersleeve is of an extruded plastic material.
 3. A fire barrier componentas claimed in claim 2 wherein said fire barrier component has a ratedfire stop application and said compressed fire stop material is a noncombustible material for the rated fire stop application.
 4. A firebarrier component as claimed in claim 3 wherein said compressed firestop material is compressed mineral wool.
 5. A fire barrier component asclaimed in claim 3 wherein said compressed fire stop material iscompressed glass fiber material.
 6. A fire barrier component as claimedin claim 3 wherein said outer sleeve is of a rectangular cross section.7. A fire barrier component as claimed in claim 6 wherein said outersleeve is a one piece extruded tube.
 8. A fire barrier component asclaimed in claim 6 wherein said outer sleeve is defined by at least twoelongate components that cooperate to engage and retain said compressedfire stop material therein.
 9. A fire barrier component as claimed inclaim 8 wherein said at least two elongate components define in anunlocked condition an open channel for locating said compressed firestop material therein and in a locked condition retain said compressedfire stop material in said outer sleeve.
 10. A fire barrier component asclaimed in claim 3 wherein said compressed fire stop material iscompressed in at least a lateral direction across said outer sleeve. 11.A fire barrier component as claimed in claim 10 wherein said fire stopmaterial is compressed in at least one direction to at least a third ofits non-compressed state.
 12. A fire barrier component as claimed inclaim 11 wherein said component is manufactured in a length exceedingsix feet.
 13. A fire barrier component as claimed in claim 11 whereinsaid component can be cross cut by a user using a saw.
 14. A firebarrier component as claimed in claim 13 wherein said component is of alength of at least eight feet.
 15. A fire barrier component as claimedin claim 3 wherein said outer sleeve includes a series of knockout portsalong the length of the component through which electrical wires, pipesor conduits can pass.
 16. A fire barrier component as claimed in claim15 wherein said outer sleeve includes at least one internal partitionrunning the length thereof with said compressed fire stop materialeither side thereof.
 17. A fire barrier component as claimed in claim 15wherein said outer sleeve has at least two internal longitudinallyextending partitions defining three channels within said outer sleeve,and wherein said knockout ports are associated with a center channel ofsaid three channels.
 18. A fire barrier component as claimed in claim 17wherein said component is of a generally rectangular cross section. 19.A fire barrier component as claimed in claim 18 wherein said outersleeve is of a material to be at least partially consumed when exposedto a fire condition and at least partial fail thereby allowing saidcompressed fire stop material to expand and at least partially protect aportion of the outer sleeve that remains.
 20. A fire barrier comprisinga series of elongate fire barrier components held in a side by sideconfiguration wherein each component comprises an elongate outer sleeveof a plastic material and a compressed fire stop material retained andprotected interior to said outer sleeve, said outer sleeve being atleast semi-rigid.
 21. A fire barrier as claimed in claim 20 wherein saidfire barrier components have a rated fire stop application and saidcompressed fire stop material is a non combustible material for therated fire stop application.
 22. A fire barrier as claimed in claim 21wherein said compressed fire stop material is compressed mineral wool.23. A fire barrier component comprising an outer sleeve of a materialthat will at least partially fail when exposed to a fire condition, anda compressed fire stop material retained within said outer sleeve; saidcompressed fire stop material expanding to form a fire stop barrier uponsaid at least partial failure of said outer sleeve.
 24. A fire barriercomponent as claimed in claim 23 wherein said outer sleeve is of amaterial that is combustible when exposed to a fire condition.